Car-fender



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. BENTON.

GAR FENDER.

Patented June 4 THE mums PETERS cc, Fume-urns" wasumcmu. o. c

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. BENTON.

GAR FENDER.

PatentedJune 4, 1895 JOHN B BENTON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,379, dated June 4,1895. Application filed April 11, 1895, Serial No. 545,333. (No model.)

To a/LZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. BENTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elizaboth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Fenders; and Ido declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to car-fenders of the type commonly known as pilotfenders, and the objects sought to be obtained areeconomy in the cost ofconstruction, lightness, durability and convenience in attaching thefender to, and removing it from the car or fender-board. i

.To these ends the invention comprehends a fender made of ordinarygas-pipe in the form of a rigid pilot adapted to be convenientlyattached and removed as a whole.

It also comprehends a clamp-bracket constructed and applied to thefender at the joints thereof to embrace and firmly hold the coupledmembers in such manner as to give rigidity to the structure and toprevent the joints from wearing aud becoming loose under the constantjars and vibrations to which the fender. is subjected in use.

It further comprehends a construction of the clamp-brackets whereby, inaddition to strengthening the joints of the fender, they are adapted tobe bolted to the truck or fender-board in their applied condition asparts of the coupled structure, all as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, .which illustrate my invention and formapart of this specification, Figure l is a front perspective showing therelations between the fender and the truck-frame, the clamp-bracketsbeing omitted. Fig. 2 is a broken perspective showing one of theclamp-brackets in its relation to the fenderframe and to the car-truckor fender-board. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base of the clampbracket.Figs. 4 and 5 represent inner face views of the main and angularportions of the base-plate of the clampbracket, said views being alsosectional views on the lines 4. 4 and 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an innerface View of the clamping-plate which coacts with the main portion ofthe base-plate shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of theclamp-plate which coacts with the angular portion of the base-plateshown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the floor frame of the car, Bone of the end bars of the truck frame and O the fender as a whole.

The fender comprises two straight parallel bars 1, 2, and two forwardlycurved pilot bars 3, 4, coupled together as hereinafter explained. Thetwo pilot bars are curved forward at their centers approximately in theform of the or dinary locomotive pilot, the lower bar projectingslightly in advance of the upper one to give the front of the fender anupward and backward inclination, and the two ends of said bars are bentback parallel to each other. The upper bar 1, and the lower pilot bar 4,are rigidly coupled together by elbow-couplings 5, 5, and 6, 6, andintermediate vertical connecting bars 7, 7, the whole constituting arigid frame. The lower transverse bar 2 and the upper pilot bar 3 arecoupled together by right angular couplings 8, .8, sleeves on thevertical connecting bars 7, 7. The couplings S are ordinary four-waycouplings such as plumbers use, and they may be screwed upon the bars 7,the latter being threaded for this purpose, or the threads in theopposite sock ets, through which the bars 7, extend, may be reamed orbored out to enlarge the said sockets so that they will receive theplain or unthreaded bars.

All the parts above referred to as bars,- that is the parts-1, 2, 3, 4and 7 are made of ordinary gas-pipe and the couplings 5, 6 and 8 areordinary couplings obtainable in the market as plumbers supplies, sothat the fender as thus far described is constructed wholly of cheap andreadily obtainable material and requires no special work.

It is not broadly new to construct fenders of gas-pipe, but it has beenfound that the constant jarring to which the fender is subjected in use,and the vibrations caused thereby, soon wear the threads, loosen thejoints, and destroy the rigidity of the structure; and

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therefore with the View of remedying this difficulty I strengthen thejoints by applying thereto clamping plates constructed and adapted toclamp and hold the coupled bars in rigid relation to each other. Theseclampin g plates are conveniently and cheaply made of cast iron, asfollows:

D designates the base plate of the clamp comprising a main body portion9, and a right angular extension 10 adapted to lie respectively againstthe rear side of the frame bars 1, 2 and the outside of the pilot orfender bars 3, 4 and grooved to receive and partially embrace the saidbars.

D is a complemental clamping-plate of size and shape corresponding withthe body portion 9 of the base plate and grooved along its edges toreceive and partially embrace the bars 1, 2. It is reduced in width atits outer end to pass the couplings 5, 8, as shown at 12 in Figs. 2 and6, and this reduced portion, which is beveled or hollowed out at therear, coacts with the angular portion 10 of the base plate to clamp andtightly hold the vertical end bar 7. The base plate and its complementalclamping-plate being applied to the bars as represented in Fig. 2, arefirmly bolted or riveted together by bolts or rivetsd.

The grooves in the base plate D and its complemental c'lampingrplate Dfor the reception of the bars 1, 2 are somewhat less in depth than thesemi-diameters of said bars, so that when the plates are applied, asrepresented in Fig. 2, and tightly bolted or riveted together they willtightly clamp and hold the bars 1, 2, 7, relieving the joints of strainand preventing the vibrations whereby the threads are worn and thejoints loosened.

D is a second clamping-plate which coacts with the angular extension 10of the base plate D, to clamp and hold the fender bars 7 and 8 toprevent sagging and vibration of the same and incidental strain and wearof the joint threads. It will thus be seen that the base plate D withits complemental clamping plates D, D effectually strengthens andstiffens all the joints and prevents the strain and wear of the threadsto which they would otherwise be subjected.

In addition to their function of strengthem ing and stiffening thejoints of the fender, the brackets serve also as a means for securingitto the truck or fender-board, being provided for this purpose withthrough bolt holes for the reception of bolts 13 whereby it is securelybut removably attached.

It will thus be seen that the fender is completely set up before it isattached, and that it may be detached without separating any of itsparts by simply removing the nuts from the bolts 13.

The front of the fender or pilot is covered with. an apron 14 ofsuitable flexible fabric preferably heavy rubber belting or similarmaterial, the lower edge of which depends into close proximity to thetrack or road bed as shown in Fig. 1', and the top is covered with wirenetting 15, which is securely attached to one of the pilot or fenderbars and to one of the rear transverse bars, this netting beingsufficiently strong to support any person or object picked up by thefender or thrown thereon.

Having now described my invention, I claim 1. A car fender constructedofviron pipe or tubing and having a forwardly curved pilot incombination with clamping plates applied to the joints to hold thecoupled members rigidly in fixed relation to each other.

2. A .car fender constructed of iron pipe or tubing coupled together andhaving a rigid forwardly projecting pilot, in combination with a bracketcomprising an angular base plate adapted to fit against the rear of thefender frame and against the side of the pilot, and clamping platesadapted to clamp and hold the fender bars to prevent vibrations at thejoints thereof.

3. In a car fender the combination of rear transverse bars, forwardlycurved fender bars coupled with said rear bars, a bracket plate havingtwo arms in angular relation to each other adapted to sustain,respectively, the rear bars and the fender bars, and clamping platesapplied to the arms of the brackets to clamp and hold the coupledmembers of the fender.

4. In a car fender the combination of horizontal and vertical barscoupled together to form a rectangular frame forwardly extending fenderbars coupled to said frame,bracket plates, each comprising two arms inangular relation to each other and adapted respectively to embrace therear frame bars and the fender bars, and clamping plates applied to saidbracket arms to clamp and hold the coupled members of the fender tostrengthen the joints and prevent vibrations.

5. In a car fender constructed of iron pipe or tubing coupled togetherand comprising a rear frame and forwardly curved'fender bars, thecombination with said frame and fender bars of angular clamp-bracketsextending around the joints to clamp and hold the coupled members atopposite sides of each joint, said brackets adapted to be attached tothe truck or fender board in their applied condition, whereby the fenderis adapted to be set up in completed form and to be attached anddetached as a whole.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. BENTON. Witnesses:

GRACE M. FINLEY, HERBERT C. GALLAT-IN.

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